A colossal bank designed by ‘the architect of Detroit’ Albert Kahn has hit the market in the city’s downtown.
The 63,000 sq ft Neoclassical structure – listed on realty site LoopNet, with price on application – sits on the corner of Detroit’s historic Financial District at 201 W Fort St.
Kahn’s practice designed the three-storey building in 1915 as the headquarters of the Detroit Trust Co. It features ornate Corinthian columns and pilasters, inspired by Classical Grecian architecture.
In 1925, he was re-enlisted to expand the structure, tripling its frontage along Fort Street.
Currently, the building’s ground floor is occupied by a branch of Comerica Bank – a descendent of the Trust – while its upper levels are vacant office space.
The Albert-Kahn-designed bank could be an exciting adaptive reuse project: its new owner will inherit a first floor layout of mixed teller stations, open plan and private office spaces. They’ll also get the existing vault and safety deposit rooms.
Kahn is responsible for some of Detroit’s best known landmarks, from the industrial Packard Automotive Plant to the Belle Isle Aquarium, and many houses in the Indian Village neighbourhood.
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